The IYHA 2003 – 2004 season has come to a close. I hope everyone had an enjoyable season. Take some time off, enjoy your family, and have fun doing “warm weather” sports—water skiing, golf, baseball, softball, soccer, etc. Do a little bit of training during the summer to prepare for the Fall – dryland, skating, conditioning, etc.

Remember to do the survey. If you have not received one, contact your team manager.

By completely filling our assigned volunteer slots and by showing up on time, IYHA continues to have a positive reputation with D2. And in the case of the D2 tournament, we did not get fined.

Thank you again for your volunteer hours!

Jeanne Falconer, Vice President

Happenings of IYHA:

Mite 2 Team:

The Mite 2 team got to meet Marc Chouinard # 32 and sign autographs, talk, and skate at the EXCEL Center! Thanks to the hard work of Kyle Mason and Family. Kyle was one of two children to win “Play with the Wild” sponsored by Fox Sports. Thanks again to the Mason family they convinced the Wild to allow all 32 Mite 2 children to attend this session at Excel Energy Center on 2/24/04.

Bantam A Team:

The players were the “stand ins” for the All Stars! They skated through the practice for the introductions at the Excel Center bright and early! Congratulations for being chosen to do this!

Irondale Squirt A takes 2nd place in the Twin City Festival

The Irondale Squirt A team played hard for 6 straight nights in the Twin City Festival which was held at Edison Arena.On February 27, Friday the boys started out with Como and won 4-3; Saturday they lost to Johnson 3-1; Sunday they won Southwest 2-1; Monday they won Richfield, which ended in a shoot out, 4-3; on Tuesday they won Highland 2-1; and finally on Wednesday they lost to Johnson 4-2.They took second place for the Twin City Festival.These boys played with their hearts, their love of the game and never gave up.Congratulations to the SQUIRT A team.

From the Girls Coordinator, Chris Tahti.

Another season has passed us by and both coaches and parents are providing glowing reports regarding the progress of our programs. The U12’s spent much of the season in the state rankings, something we have not seen around here in a while. The U10’s, for the first time ever, fielded two teams. Both teams made great strides and ended the season on an upbeat note. Steve has a handful of girls ready to move into the ranks next year so development is occurring within the program as well.

Along those lines, the Girls program celebrated the season’s end together on March 7th at Ridder arena. A concerted effort will be made to inform the athletes of all the opportunities for the summer to further develop their skills. We are planning two sessions of Try Girls Hockey; one in late March and one around the start of the school year. Everyone from IYHA is encouraged to spread the word about the Girls Program and help the program grow in numbers so we can continue to provide a quality experience for the athletes. Have your athletes show up to these sessions with a friend. Come as parents to spread the word to others about how hockey has impacted your daughter’s life.

The Girls coaches have met for an initial planning meeting regarding next season. We developed a common understanding about how to approach the season and the future of our programs. A couple of items to share at this point: first, all coaches will fill out an evaluation of each of their athletes. This will give the athlete an understanding of where they are in relation to their peers, what their strengths are and what they need to give further attention to this off season. It will also provide next year’s coaches with a head start in understanding the needs of their teams, both as individual athletes and as a team unit. Second, we are intent on fielding a U14 team under the Irondale banner next season. The foundation of a team is there, through recruiting and finding players to waiver in, we should be in good shape. Third, we are committed to developing our teams to be as competitive as possible. When we have athletes who “play up”, this can dilute both teams affected. Therefore, “playing up” will be handled on a case by case basis with the consensus of all coaches involved, the ACE coordinator, and the Girls Program Coordinator. In short, “playing up” to fill team slots is not good for either team involved.

Congratulations to our athletes on a great year, your hard work was quite evident on the ice. To our coaches, thank you for your dedication to the athletes. I have witnessed your energy, your work ethic and the amount of time you spend on our children. You are truly the best in the business. And finally, to Sally Sawyer, you have built a solid foundation here. Thank you for all the time and effort you gave to IYHA, we are all better off because of your effort!

Chris

TRY GIRLS HOCKEY!

We are going to have a Try Girls Hockey session at the Super Rink on March 31. Please spread the word to all teams that this is one of two sessions we will have in order to recruit players into our program. Each girl is asked to bring at least one friend to the rink and spend some time skating with them, as well as going through some formal drills and activities organized by the coaches. The second session will happen around the start of the school year. Parents are also invited to help spread the good word in the stands. They are asked to make themselves available to answer questions to the "new" parents in the stands as this is usually the best recruitment tool in our toolbox.

Details: March 31, Super Rink (Coon Rapids rink) 7-8pm. Details are getting to the local papers, cable TV shows and bulletin boards and a flier is being developed for the elementary schools in the area. This is for all levels of the organization as it is never too late to start hockey!

Often we have questions asking about what kinds of camps are available during the summer.We have Association members that run camps during the summer.They are listed here in alphabetical order:

There have been several teams that have sponsors for their teams. These are listed below.

This part of the newsletter will continue throughout the rest of the IYHA season. Please notify Niki Gjere of any additions or corrections. (Please forward information about websites and addresses, etc.)

Many thanks to our sponsors!

Pee Wee B Team:

**John Bailey—our goalie Beau’s Dad**

**Victor Kretsch, Quality Post Service (Zach Ewing’s Grandpa)**

Ponies:

**Mike Bridgeman**

Girls 10U Maroon Team:

**Champp’s New Brighton**

**Real Estate Appraisers (the Slipka’s)**

**Fuji-Ya Restaurant (the Hanson’s**)

Girls 10U Gold Team:

**Champp’s New Brighton**

**Real Estate Appraisers (the Slipka’s)**

Initiation

**Razor’s Edge, New Brighton**

IYHA:

**New Brighton Sportsmen’s Club**

Once again, many, many thanks to our sponsors!

Please support them! When you see them, please tell them you are from Irondale Youth Hockey!

The Board of the Lake Region Hockey Association meets on the third Tuesday of every month at various locations. If you are interested in attending the next meeting, please call Gayle Goben at 651-638-9756.

All IYHA Board Meetings are open meetings.

Please feel free to come to the meetings, which are held at the Mounds View City Hall in Conference Room C. Also, if you wish to have a copy of any information which is distributed at the meeting, please email or call Niki and it will be mailed to you. Upcoming dates for Board meetings:

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 (Annual Meeting)

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

NOTE: If you wish to be on the agenda for the meeting, please contact Brad DeKanick.

Irondale Youth Hockey Association Board Meeting Minutes: There was no meeting in February.

Elections:

We have several Board of Directors positions that are due for election this year. The elections are held in April 2004 at our Annual Election meeting. Listed below are the positions that are due for election and a description for that position. If you are interested, you must contact one of the members of the Nominating Committee (Brad DeKanick, Pat O’Connor, or Niki Gjere.) All candidates for positions must submit a brief statement of interest for the newsletter which will be printed in April.

Thank you!

Positions due for election this year:

Officers:

Vice President (2 year term, even years)

1.In the absence of the President, assume presidential duties as outlined above.

2.Secure IYHA sponsors as necessary.

3.Direct and / or delegate powers for fund raising efforts.

4.Direct and / or delegate powers for liaison activities between the IYHA and external businesses (i.e. team photographs, marketing companies, companies making donations, etc.)

5.Primary conduit for communication between the IYHA and teams via team managers.

Treasurer (2 year term, even years)

1.Collect and maintain all data on expenses and income for the Association. This will be used for budgeting and planning.

2.Report in writing, on a monthly basis, to the Board of Directors, the financial position of the organization.

3.Have custody of all funds of the Association and keep accurate records of receipts and expenditures.

4.Issues checks on IYHA accounts as directed by the Board.

5.Prepare and distribute monthly bills to all teams (via team treasurers).

6.Be primary conduit to team treasures on all billing / expense matters.